Stonyfield Gets Crazy in the Kitchen: Crazy Cook Off

Here at Stonyfield, we’re always searching for new ways to have fun. And as you might imagine, we also have some employees who are pretty passionate about food — so we’re always looking for great new ways to incorporate our yogurt into cooking.

A few weeks back, we decided to hold a cooking-show style “Crazy Cook-Off:” as a result two teams competed for the ultimate title of best chefs in residence. As a challenge, we invited our Facebook fans to submit three crazy ingredients, plus one Stonyfield product, that each team would be required to incorporate into their dishes.

From the hundreds of entries we received, these ingredients made the cut: beets, habanero peppers, dark chocolate, along with our organic Oikos Greek yogurt.

Team Hot Sauce vs. Team Shake and Bake

Our teams had 90 minutes, minimal equipment and a shared kitchen in which to prepare their entrees. Action in the kitchen was fast and furious, and co-hosts Kristina and Ryan kept things moving with on-camera interviews — and a few added challenges thrown in for good measure.

At the end of the hour and a half, the teams presented their dishes to a panel of employee judges. The results were surprisingly delicious.

Chefs Sarah and Laura (Team Hot Sauce) prepared Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine with yogurt-infused Creamy Polenta on the side. The rib sauce had a nice mixture of spice and sweet and the polenta was amazingly fluffy and light.

Chefs Liza and Dave (Team Shake and Bake) took the challenge ingredients in a different direction, preparing beet and brown rice-filled Holy Mole Burritos with Guacamole.

The Winner: Up to YOU

Our judges came up with a clean tie after tasting both dishes, so we’re inviting our Facebook and blog audiences to break the tie and decide which team wins the Crazy Cook-Off once and for all.

Watch and Vote!

Help us decide which of our two teams – Hot Sauce or Shake and Bake – should be crowned winner of the Stonyfield Crazy Cook Off.

Watch the video below, look at the recipes, then visit our Facebook page (http://facebook.com/stonyfieldfarm) or vote in the comment section below. If you do, you might even win free yogurt, since we’ll be randomly selecting voters to receive coupons for their favorite Stonyfield products.

We’ll tally the votes on January 10 and post the winning team on the Stonyfield Facebook page.

_________________Recipes_______________________

Holy Mole Burritos– from Team Shake and Bake

Prepare baked chicken with your favorite Mexican-inspired seasoning and chop into small pieces.

Prepare brown rice.

Roast chopped, peeled beets at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until tender.

While rice, beets and chicken are cooking, prepare mole sauce according to attached recipe.

Mix cooked rice, beets and chicken in a bowl with shredded cheddar cheese and season to taste.

Fold into burrito-sized tortillas, top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Cover and cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder and flour, stir for one minute. Gradually whisk in broth. Increase heat to medium high. Boil until reduced, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Process sauce, raisins and almonds in blender until smooth. Heat over medium heat until hot. Whisk in chocolate. Reduce heat to low, then whisk and simmer about 3 minutes, until well blended.

Stonyfield Guacamole – from Team Shake and Bake

2 ripe avocados

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Juice of ½ lemon or lime

¼ cup Stonyfield Oikos Greek yogurt

Tortilla chips

Directions

Halve avocados and place in bowl. Add cumin, chili powder and garlic powder. Mash with fork or masher and blend all ingredients together. When mixed, fold in lemon juice and Stonyfield Greek yogurt. Top with a sprinkle of lemon juice to prevent browning. Serve with tortilla chips.

In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Add habaneros and cook until softened. Mix the flour, cocoa powder with salt until well blended. Dredge ribs in cocoa mixture shaking off the excess. Add half of the ribs to the pot (or as many as will fit without overlap), and cook, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil, beets, celery, and onions to the pan. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the aromatics are soft and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bay leaves and garlic and cook, stirring, until well distributed and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour 1/2 cup of the red wine into the pot and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 Tbs., about 1 minute.

Transfer all the ribs (and any juices that have accumulated) back into the pot. Pour 1-3/4 cups water, the beef broth, and the remaining red wine over the ribs and using tongs, arrange the ribs as evenly as possible and no more than two layers deep.

Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover, and put the pot in the oven. Cook, turning the ribs with tongs about every 40 minutes, until they are fork tender, about 2-3/4 hours. (The meat may fall off most of the bones about midway through cooking; this does not mean that the ribs are fully tender.)

Transfer the ribs to a serving platter or dish. Let the sauce and solids sit in the pot for a few minutes to cool and with a shallow spoon, skim off as much of the fat as possible from the surface. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and add the vinegar.

Serve the ribs with the sauce spooned over. This recipe can also be prepared in a pressure cooker at 15 pounds pressure for 45 minutes.

Creamy Mascarpone and Yogurt Polenta– from Team Hot Sauce

4 cups water

4 cups beef broth

4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup Oikos lowfat plain

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal in a very thin, steady stream. Turn the heat as low as possible. Cook for 1 hour, stirring vigorously every 10 minutes. Add the mascarpone and pepper and beat until smooth and creamy. Serve hot.